Facebook’s upcoming Oculus Rift S PC VR headset has received FCC approval. The FCC is a US regulatory agency with responsibility over wireless frequency use.
The headset has no specific date for release, but Facebook says it will launch in Spring. Compared to the original, the Rift S features higher resolution better lenses, five-camera inside-out tracking and a halo strap. However, it no longer features IPD adjustment and doesn’t come with headphones.
FCC filings publicly disclose the exact wireless frequencies a device uses, as well as the peak power output of each. The filing shows no hidden secrets, the headset uses the same 2.4 GHz frequency the original Rift used. This is to communicate with the Touch controllers.
Original Rift Unavailable
The original Rift has been sold out at all retailers for over a week now. Until today, it was only available from Oculus.com.
Today the Oculus website in the US states the Rift is “unavailable”. Some customers have reported their orders from earlier this week were canceled. It still shows up as available when visiting the website from some other countries, but that stock is likely to be gone soon too.
The Rift’s price was $399 since summer 2017, but in January of this year was reduced to $349. In the context of this week’s announcement and current stock situation, this was likely a clearance sale.
Rift S is positioned as a full replacement for the Rift, taking its place in the market. But if you’re not planning on upgrading don’t worry. Facebook told us the Rift will be supported “for the forseeable future”.
